In the field of animal treatment it is often required to inject to the animal a large variety of medicaments, in a liquid substance form, that may include, e.g., medicines, vaccines, hormones, food supplements and the like. For a matter of convenience, the above described substances that have to be injected will hereinafter be called “medicament”.
When it is required to inject a large number of animals (or “patients”), e.g., poultry, fish, sheep, goats, cattle, and the like, the injecting should be fast and efficient since there is a large number of individuals involved during each injecting process, typically, tens of thousands.
When injecting to a large number of individuals, it is common that the operator gets tired. In this situation, several malfunctions may occur:                1—The operator may accidentally inject to himself.        2—The operator may inject when the needle did not penetrate yet into the patient.        3—The operator may inject when the needle did not penetrate to the desired depth into the patient.        4—The operator may inject after the needle has been removed from the patient.        5—The operator may inject only a portion of the required dose.        6—The operator may insert the needle into the patient in a wrong orientation.        7—The operator may inject twice to the same individual.        
Furthermore, since there is a large number of individuals involved and the process is typically done very quickly, it is sometimes difficult or impossible to monitor the individuals that were actually injected. Moreover, it is impossible to monitor the individuals which received the full dose versus those who did not receive the full dose. It is understood that these kinds of malfunctions cause additional cost to the process and further complications, such as an outbreak of a plague, due to the individuals that were not properly injected.
Injection apparatuses for performing these tasks are known. US 2009/018505 discloses a powered automatic injection device having a hand-held gun-shaped with a handgrip. The device has an internal motor that is powered by connection to a power source, such as AC current or DC battery. A pair of limit-switches controls the delivery of the medicament by limiting the movement of a helical gear that moves a fitting in response to being powered by the internal motor. The helical gear transfers rotational motion from the electric motor into linear motion through a coupling attached to the helical gear.
GB 2233234 discloses a portable jet injector for avian vaccination that may include two ejection chambers fed separately with different vaccine compositions for being administrated simultaneously to one bird.
WO 2004/101060 discloses an injector assembly adapted to be carried by the operating person. Contact sensor and positioning sensor delivers information to a controller. The controller orders propelling means, a dosing unit, and the needle to automatically push the medical material. The apparatus can be provided with electronically or physical marker for recording.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,858,020 discloses an automatic repeater vaccinator apparatus for dispensing a predetermined volume of a fluid into an animal, and reloading after each volume of fluid is dispensed.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,529,522 discloses an injection apparatus having a removable needle cartridge, wherein the cartridge having a plurality of needles. Each of the needles is advanced into a deployment position by means of an advancer.
WO 2014/016807 discloses a mass vaccination device which can electronically control and deliver a measured amount of a vaccine thorough a needle.
US 2008/0177223 discloses an injection system that may deliver at least two fluid doses to a small bird by penetrating the skin of the recipient bird with at least one injection needle.
US 2005/0209569 discloses an injection device. After pressing the device against the body of a patient, a needle automatically protrudes from the device into the patient and is immediately removed from the patient, thereby reducing the pain of the patient during insertion and removing of the needle.
None of the cited references discloses a method to insert a needle at a predetermined required angle with respect to the avian skin, at the right insertion depth, at a linear line during insertion, and releasing the dose when the front edge of the needle is positioned at the required depth.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,481 discloses a device comprising a needle (13) that protrudes at an angle with respect to a retention plate (14). The device comprises a casing (1) which rests on the table through four stuck rubber legs (4). An operation system is separated from a control system. A needle (13) is connected, through guide means (6c), to a housing (6). The needle is protruding to the patient through an aperture (18) in the retention plate (14). In order to perform an injection, the caregiver person has to hold the bird with one hand, and, with the other hand to hold one of the bird's legs and abut it against a right-angled abutment or stop member (16) that is found on the retention plate in order to assure the correct position for the injection. At this stage, the person presses a push member (19) and the needle protrudes outwardly from the aperture and makes the injection. It is unclear how the person performs this task since both of his hands are already occupied as described above. He has to either release one of his hands for pressing the push member (19), or, he has to release one finger for pressing the push member, or, he has to press with the outer portion of his palm when the bird's leg is grabbed by his hand and abutted against the stop member (16). In any case, the operation of the device with living birds is cumbersome.
Disadvantages of the device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,481 are: (1) the device is stationary and not mobile, (2) the bird has to be held with both hands, (3) the operation of the injection is cumbersome, (4) the injection is not being done automatically and it has to be operated by the person, (5) the device cannot get to any bird, but, each of the birds has to be placed on the device, in the exact position, prior to operation of the needle.
It is the object of the present invention to provide an injection apparatus that significantly reduces or overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an injection apparatus that automatically injects into the animal when it is pressed against the animal.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an injection apparatus wherein its needle penetrates into the patient (e.g., poultry or fish) always at the correct desirable angle.
It is still yet a further object of the present invention to provide an injection apparatus wherein its needle moves along a straight line throughout the penetration into the patient.
It is also a further object of the present invention to provide an injection apparatus wherein its needle penetrates into the patient always at the exact desirable depth.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an injection apparatus wherein the treatment material is injected only after the needle has reached the desirable depth.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide an injection apparatus that provides full delivery of the treatment material into the patient.
It is still further another object of the present invention to provide an injection apparatus that prevents accidental exposure of the needle or accidental injection.
It is also another object of the present invention to provide an injection apparatus that provides easy and comfortable holding and an ergonomic grip by the entire operator's hand, and prevents from each of the operator's fingers, palm or wrist from becoming tired.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an injection apparatus that marks each patient been injected.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an injection apparatus that provides and transmits data regarding the injection process, e.g., number of proper injections, number of faulty injections, amount of injected medicament, rate of injections, intermissions, caregiver person's identifying code, etc.